US intelligence discovers Iran 'substantially increased' efforts to target American diplomats in West Asia & beyond

Washington, Oct 24 (UNI) US intelligence has found that Iran has "substantially increased" efforts to target American diplomats and officials in West Asia and beyond, with alleged assassination plots reaching "advanced stages", according to an October 23 memo to Secretary of State Marco Rubio obtained by Axios. The warning comes as Washington reduces staffing at several diplomatic missions across the region amid fears of a wider conflict, including the possibility of renewed US and Israeli strikes on Iran after the November 3 midterm elections. In the one-page, unclassified memo, Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton told Rubio that intelligence on…